The Other Side of the Coin
by Renegade Shadow
Summary: Have you ever wondered what happened to Ulty to make her what she is? Here it is. EIGHTH CHAP UP. (warning--I don't know what kinda crack I was on when I wrote chapter eight...) Odine tells Llera about something that may seem familiar to you...
1. Default Chapter

The Other Side of the Coin Note: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII or anything related to it. I just own this story. It's about why Ultimecia is the way she is. There's more to come, so I hope you enjoy.  
  
Chapter One: The Wedding  
  
She was just as good as Arell. What made her any different? They both looked the same. They were identical twins, as a matter of fact.  
  
Sure, Arell had done all the goal-setting, the planning, and she was so perfect...but didn't personality count? Not that Llera's sister was a bad person, but what made her better?  
  
Llera wrung her hands, which were completely devoid of any engagement ring or wedding band. Her father was walking her sister Arell down the isle to the brown-haired, emerald-eyed man that she'd been marveling over for two years now. Gale was charming, handsome, intelligent, and had a little bit of everything that every woman had ever desired.  
  
The only time Llera had come this close to such love had been with Raife. But no, he wasn't successful, not like Gale. He was rebellious and nothing that Llera's parents would accept. This would explain why Raife was not here.  
  
Arell did not walk up the aisle, but glided. She was beautiful and graceful, everyone knew. But Llera was her twin. Why did no one ever notice her?  
  
She glanced at Gale. Raife was different than him with sleek blonde hair and a face of malevolence always lacing his features. It was just the way he looked.  
  
Was there a similar reason for everyone's disliking for Llera?  
  
It doesn't matter, she told herself. Just smile and rough it.  
  
Gale and Arell were exchanging rings now.  
  
Llera's mother was weeping with joy. Her little girl was all grown up. Would she be weeping like this when Llera was wedded?  
  
Gale and Arell finally kissed, and the onlookers leapt from their seats in applause and cheering. Llera stayed in her seat, with the strangest feeling of isolation, even though she was drowning in the crowd of people.  
  
Anger flared inside her. 


	2. The Vibration That Began the Avalanche

Chapter Two:  
  
Concrete Walls  
  
No, I don't own FF8, the characters or the yaddayaddayadda...You know the drill...  
  
Llera made a swift turn to her right, heading right into an alley that most tended to avoid. They avoided it not for a particular or spoken reason, but a mere human instinct.  
  
Llera abandoned that instinct when she trudged into the back alley and glanced to her left and right. She wondered where Raife was.  
  
"You're late," a silky smooth voice remarked.  
  
She turned to glance back at the speaker. Raife's mouth was curled into a half-smile, seen as a smirk by his elders. Llera knew that what the adults thought about him was a load of bull. They didn't know him, or her, for that matter.  
  
"My parents needed a decent story before I could leave the house," she explained, rolling her eyes. "I told them I was going to the movies."  
  
"Bet they asked what you were going to see, right?"  
  
"Yep. I told them it was that movie...um, what was it?" She paused. "Who cares?" Llera folded her arms across her chest, suddenly businesslike. She wore a black leather jacket over a white shirt, clothes that she'd hastily thrown on when she'd received Raife's message on her cell. "Why'd you want me?"  
  
Raife leaned casually against the cold, concrete wall, a habit that was contagious--Llera imitated the move.  
  
"Those so-called Heralds think they've got the right to butt into my business," Raife growled. "They told me that if I don't stop seeing you, they'll send me to 'where I belong.'" He scoffed.  
  
The Heralds were the force that was responsible for protecting Llera and her family. However, they'd been connected with homicides and sudden disappearances recently, and it was rumored that they were actually just a crowd of hit men with spiffy suits.  
  
"Watch out for them," Llera warned. "I'm not saying they can hurt you, but still...just be careful."  
  
Raife pushed himself away from the wall to gaze into Llera's sapphire eyes, raising an eyebrow. "C'mon. Do you really think they've got the guts to mess with me?"  
  
"Of course not." Llera considered herself fortunate to have even answered the question. She had been suddenly enraptured in Raife's piercing green eyes, and many moments similar to this had turned her into a babbling idiot.  
  
"Maybe they'll be fired or something," Raife suggested. "I mean, your parents aren't going to like that they're getting connected with all this. Surely they'd ditch 'em. Seriously, they don't even trust me, and my record's clean."  
  
"How clean?" Llera kidded. It was just a joke.  
  
"What? You don't trust me?" Raife was being serious. His suddenly sincere face bothered Llera. Was he trying to hide something?  
  
She mentally scolded herself for such foolish thoughts. I'm beginning to sound like my parents, she thought.  
  
"Come ON, Raife, why else would I be in a back alley with you?"  
  
Raife shrugged and kissed her.  
  
A hooded figure, crouching on a roof like a cat, glared maliciously upon an act he found utterly disgusting.  
  
"This will certainly have to be reported, Llera," he whispered into the air, knowing they didn't realize that he was there. "The Heralds don't like rats. We'll need to exterminate this one..."  
  
Llera was totally lost in Raife's kiss, and for the hundreth time she wondered how any human on the planet could make her feel this dizzy...or how any human on the planet could hate him. He had a tough attitude, but she did not feel that. She only felt his unbearably soft lips.  
  
When they parted, Llera smiled. "I'll see you again, Raife."  
  
She began to walk away, but then Raife stopped her. "There's going to be a party tonight. C'mon over and I'll show you a good time, okay?"  
  
"Sure..." Llera marveled at his politeness. It was weird how a person that everyone else thought was a common criminal was so nice and amazing to her.  
  
She exited the alley, unaware of the person who had heard every word and seen every movement that would send her perfect relationship tumbling down in an avalanche. 


	3. Pits In Her Mind

--Yes, I know, this is a pretty uneventful chapter, but I wanted the readers to have more insight on the protagonist-- (And no--I don't own FF8. Even if this seems to have no connection with it, you'll see it all come together later on)  
  
Llera was quickly growing tiresome of this game. It was becoming difficult to circumvent being caught with Raife. Her friends kept pestering her about why she was gone so much. Why should they care? They didn't even like Llera, when it came to reality. Sure, they pretended to have some sort of bonds with her, but they might as well have bonds with her cash.  
  
Even so...  
  
When her friends talked of Raife, she was forced to pretend that she agreed with them. They saw him as a disgusting dog, not worthy of licking their shoes.  
  
But it bothered her. Why should Llera care what anyone thought? She had always tried to keep her individuality, but of course, fallen victim to insecurities.  
  
Perhaps that had been why she'd fallen in love with Raife in the first place. He was the one person who made her feel special, not just another ant of the colony.  
  
Sometimes now, though, she still felt pathetic. Even if her friends probably didn't really like her, she'd always tried to be a true friend to them. She'd always thought of herself as a person who could help them in their time in need and be the one person they could come to with their problems. Recently she'd disovered how wrong she had always been. One of them had been broken-hearted at their school's dance before and Llera stood by and observed another friend taking care of the matter.  
  
Whenever she delved into shadows and isolated herself like this, her mother would rant at her. "Cease this endless moping!" the ignorant woman would shout through Llera's locked door. Llera hated it when her mother did that.  
  
She couldn't even speak her mind. It wasn't even a restriction placed upon her by her parents. No, this was something her own mind produced. She was always so afraid of what everyone thought that she kept silent even when her thoughts truly needed to be projected.  
  
All of these thoughts rolled in and out of Llera's mind. She trudged into the main den and phoned Raife. He didn't pick up, but she left a message informing him that she would not be making her guest appearance at the party he'd invited her to. She didn't mention it, but she was too out of her own mind that night to go anywhere.  
  
It was true that Llera occasionally thought she might be mentally ill. She was so paranoid, always worrying. With the addition of the sneaky game she was playing, her mind was now in shambles. The only thing that kept her from absolute insanity was Raife. He kept her warm when the frigid air induced goosebumps. He soothed her when she was upset.  
  
It was a felony for a person to disrespect him, in her mind. But then again, wasn't her mind the entire reason she'd locked herself in her room to begin with? 


	4. The Crimson Wineglass

Llera phoned Raife repeatedly the next day. He didn't seem to be picking up. She wondered if Raife had left his phone at the location of his party. That was a doubtful possibility. He always knew what he was doing. It was almost...inhuman, having the perfect memory he did.  
  
He may have just left it at home on purpose. But why would he do all that? He always called her on it....  
  
Had he gotten tired of talking to her? Was she becoming a nuisance to him?  
  
No, surely not...He would at least give an explanation.  
  
"They're here!" her parents called.  
  
Arell and Gale were over for dinner. It had been a few weeks since they'd been wedded and they wanted to discuss how things were going. Llera looked forward more to the food than the conversation...The boring, reserved conversations were the only kind that came up in Llera's home. She'd have to move out soon...  
  
Llera sighed, taking a glance in the mirror. Perfect.  
  
She slipped into the dining room just as Gale and Arell walked in the door. They both seemed to be exhaustedly joyful. They were wearing a facade like everyone else. The only difference was that the masks they wore were a little more transparent.  
  
The couple, parents, and Llera were seated. A butler was taking any requests asked. _A_ butler, meaning he wasn't the only one in the large dwelling. He served them graciously. That was a job Llera would never be able to take on. Serving others, apologizing for nothing, allowing them to get away with being rude....  
  
But wasn't that what she already did? Never speaking for herself?  
  
Don't think about it, she thought. Just...get through dinner.  
  
"...And then they were an hour late in delivering our furniture!" Arell remarked.  
  
"Maybe I should--"  
  
"It's fine, sir," Gale interrupted Llera's father. "I took care of the matter."  
  
"Oh, very well, then," he said. He waved his fork at Llera's mother. "Like I said--Gale is the perfect husband for Ller--I mean, Arell."  
  
He'd done it again. Mixed them up. It was a common mistake. One that was ironic, because though Arell and Llera didn't argue much, they were nothing alike.  
  
They all laughed, even Llera. But soon, she was muted. She examined her wineglass, its crystalline handle shining beneath her fingertips. She wondered how long it would be before she was wedded, conversing her new home and happiness over dinner.  
  
She'd always dreamed of marrying Raife, but as much as she liked to imagine it, she wasn't sure if Raife was keen on the idea. And as much as she would love it if her parents accepted him, she knew there would never be any social contact between them that was not negative.  
  
If she did marry him, she would either be disowned or her parents and family would simply not show up. Or both.  
  
Llera looked up from her glass to catch Gale looking in her direction. He smiled warmly and asked her the one question that could ruin her night.  
  
"Do you have anyone in mind for marriage yet, Llera?"  
  
Silence wove them into a quilt.  
  
"Um...not exactly. I'm going to put it off until I can support myself, be independent."  
  
Gale nodded. "Good for you."  
  
As soon as everyone's eyes were taken off of her, Llera breathed a small sigh of relief. The question had caught her off guard. She hoped her parents hadn't noticed her hesitation, or else they would interrogate her after dinner.  
  
"I have a cousin who is a lawyer," Gale told them. He went into a discussion about how many cases his cousin had won and how he helped him get medical bills paid when someone hit him with a car.  
  
Llera thought Gale was nice and all, but he seemed to be shallow. He didn't ever talk about how nice someone was or how funny they were. Just what they'd accomplished and how it affected him.  
  
With the dull conversation, Llera's mind began to wonder. Where was Raife?  
  
"You always seem to be thinking, Llera," she heard Gale say.  
  
He was becoming a nuisance, interrupting her thoughts like this.  
  
"I like to observe," she told him.  
  
"No wonder you don't have a husband-to-be."  
  
Llera looked up from her plate and lowered her eyebrows.  
  
"That's really none of your business, Gale," she said coolly.  
  
"It was only a suggestion."  
  
"It was a rude suggestion."  
  
"That's enough," her father said, "Llera."  
  
Llera gritted her teeth, holding back her rage. Gale was usually nice. Now he'd just contradicted her thoughts by being so rude to her. Then her parents had turned on her. What next?  
  
Her mother leaned over closer to her. "We're going to have a talk later on about this," she whispered.  
  
"I...didn't do anything," Llera growled, barely containing her fury.  
  
"Close your mouth," she snapped, Gale and the rest still conversing the whole time.  
  
Llera gritted her teeth so hard she thought she might injure herself, still holding her wineglass. She glared at it, not wanting to meet the eyes of those she couldn't stand.  
  
Her grip tightened, and the wineglass shattered, sending crimson streaming down her palms.  
  
Everyone's eyes hit her again. They looked from her calm expression, to her broken glass, to the blood dripping off of her hand.  
  
"Out," her mother said coldly.  
  
"Fine," she hissed, heading for her bedroom.  
  
"No, I said 'out'," her mother snapped, and grabbed her arm, and drug her out the front door, slamming it behind her. It was cold and sprinkling.  
  
* * *  
  
Llera grabbed her cell phone. She dialed Raife's number one last time.  
  
It rang three times before she heard a click. He'd finally picked up.  
  
"Raife! I've been looking for you! Where have you been!"  
  
Silence.  
  
"Raife?"  
  
"Where has Raife been? Tied to this chair, being tortured. I was hoping he'd die, but he's a fighter, isn't he?"  
  
Llera froze as ice streamed through her veins. She almost expected it to flow out of her cuts.  
  
"Who the hell are you?"  
  
"I'm everything you fear. I'm waiting...Raife's screaming for you."  
  
"Bull!" she snapped. "He would tear you to pieces!"  
  
She suddenly heard her name.  
  
"Llera! I'm fine! Get outta this city! They're after y--"  
  
Raife's voice was cut off when the phone was hung up.  
  
Llera kept the phone to her ear. For all she knew, the killer was right behind her. Waiting to bury a dagger into her flesh and tear out her organs until she screamed for mercy.  
  
She examined her blood. It dripped off onto the sidewalk. Like the wineglass, her life had just been shattered. 


	5. Fear Me

I forgot to mention it in the last chappie, but I don't own FF8. Duh. If I did, I definitely wouldn't be spending my time writing this thing.  
  
BTW, thanks for the reviews you guys! I appreciate it. ^^  
  
Llera took off down the street, puddles flaring out from her feet. Where had Raife said the party had been? That would've been the first place to start. Somewhere...  
  
God! Perfect timing for my mind to go blank! she thought.  
  
She suddenly stopped running. What was the point? She didn't know where the hell she was going; she was just running in blind panic. And if someone wanted to assasinate her, they'd do it anywhere.  
  
She check her watch, and realized, when she saw that it read 2:37, that it wasn't waterproof. She cursed, yanking it off her wrist and hurling it into the nearest puddle. So what if it had been 8,000 gil? It was a piece of crap.  
  
Llera was the type of person who snapped at people and herself when she was frightened. She had no one nearby to snarl at, so, here she was getting frustrated, taking it out on an inanimate object.  
  
Who was it that felt so inclined to scare her to attack Raife?  
  
The same people...who hate Raife.  
  
Gale? But would he really try to do that to Llera?  
  
She had received the blood-freezing phone call about an hour after being kicked out of her home for the night. Gale could have had time, couldn't he?  
  
Her parents hated Raife, too, but they wouldn't want to get mixed up in a homicide...would they?  
  
They wouldn't kill their own daughter...would they?  
  
She shivered. She was doing it again. Delving into pools of darkness, questions, and fear. Maybe that had been the caller's true intention: to drive her to insanity.  
  
They wouldn't have to try very hard...  
  
Llera shook her head. She couldn't let it get to her. She had to find this sneaky little bastard and...do something. She was too bent on finding him to know what.  
  
First stop was Gale's home. She knew it was crazy to confront him alone, but what did she have to lose?  
  
Besides her life, what did she have to lose?  
  
***  
  
Midnight--that was the time Llera suspected it was--was not exactly the best time to wake a person, but she couldn't just wait on this lunatic. She pounded their front door, making a sound like thunder throughout their home. If that didn't wake them, she didn't know what would.  
  
No answer.  
  
Her shoulders slouched.  
  
"God..." she whispered to no one. She really didn't want to break in, but the urgency of Raife's life took over. She just couldn't let this go. She could let him go that easily.  
  
She shuddered. What if Raife was in the house? What if the psycho was waiting for her, hoping she would come in to save him, only to be killed? What if she got in but caused Raife's death?  
  
What if she died? Would anyone care to notice?  
  
What if Llera was being tortured as well? Her sister would never hurt a soul. The sadist would probably take advantage of that. Gale could take advantage of that.  
  
Llera suddenly felt more confident in her suspicions of Gale. He might have taken advantage of Arell when they met, knowing that her parents were loaded. He might have taken advantage of their parents, too. And then Gale, that emerald-eyed psycho, might have tried to do the same thing to Llera. But Llera was born into the wrong family, it seemed. Maybe....  
  
She gritted her teeth in frustration. There were too many mights, too many maybes, too many what if's.  
  
Could she really risk it?  
  
She took a deep breath. The door was locked. She would have to climb in through the window. Having just married and moved in, Arell and Gale didn't have an alarm system yet.  
  
Llera lifted her leg up onto the windowsill, pulling herself up. Her heart seemed to be hammering its way out of her chest as she unlatched the window. She slid it open.  
  
The window was one of three in the den. The den itself was dark and hollow, silent. It only sped her heart's rhythm all the more, so much that it hurt her chest.  
  
Llera slid around and aimed her feet for the hardwood floor.  
  
Her cell phone screamed its high-pitched ring, making her jump so much that she slipped and hit the floor with a loud thud.  
  
The cell phone shot away from her side, still ringing.  
  
Shaking, she jumped up and ran to get it. At the same time, she tried to ignore the footsteps coming her way, vibrating the floor beneath her.  
  
Damn it! she thought. Why had she brought the phone?!  
  
She snatched it up and frantically pressed the button to answer.  
  
"H-hello?" she whispered, backing toward the window, unable to think straight. Her thoughts and strategies were jumbled into chaos even more as she heard danger approaching.  
  
"Do you fear me, Llera?" a male voice hissed on the phone.  
  
Llera gasped, so frightened she was unable to breathe. "Who are you?!"  
  
"I am the person who got your revenge. You should be happy."  
  
"What?!"  
  
The person approaching suddenly appeared in the darkness. Llera could only see a vague outline. All she knew was that they were holding a telephone.  
  
"Do you fear me?"  
  
"No!" she spat, even while shaking uncontrollably.  
  
"That's something I will take care of by the end of the night."  
  
The person across the room from her tapped the wall. No, not the wall...  
  
The alarm system.  
  
"I've got to make sure Raife remembers who he fears most."  
  
Suddenly, without any notice, the person was gone. A drone came from her phone.  
  
Llera was panting so hard she thought she might pass out.  
  
She darted for the bedroom.  
  
What she saw ripped the scream from her throat, tore the air from her exhausted lungs. She knew it was over then.  
  
Then, Llera knew, Raife was going to die, no matter what she did.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Heh, hate to leave you in suspense like that, but I can't help it. Ooh, I can't wait to type the next chappie!! Just REVIEW, please! The more reviews, the sooner I'll add the next chapter!!! Thanks!! BTW: Lovely Angel, thanks for your reviews! I had to put this is here just cuz you're my bud! ^.^ 


	6. Theblood

Ugh, tired of telling you people this, but I don't own FF8...If I did there would be more insight on Ultimecia's past....-_-'  
  
Hey, thanks again for reviewing my stuff! Special thanks to: Lovely Angel Nell-Chan  
  
Llera couldn't breathe, much less scream.  
  
She had been wrong. Gale had not captured Raife. It was impossible, because...  
  
Gale was dead. So was Arell.  
  
No, dead was too simple a word. Butchered was more like it. Even that was too polite for what had happened to Gale and Arell.  
  
The newlyweds had the skin literally pulled from their muscles. Llera could see red, red nothing but red. From the blood and their organs. They still had the skin on their faces, but their eyes...Their eyelids were sunken because there were no eyeballs to support them. Their skin, which appeared to have been viciously torn with their murderer's bare hands, lay over them in folds.  
  
Llera gasped for air. She had been wrong...  
  
She began to get dizzy. She stumbled a bit.  
  
No, she thought. I can't let him get to me.  
  
She thought this even as tears streamed down her cheeks. When she finally caught her breath, she backed out of the bedroom.  
  
Llera couldn't grasp it. They were...dead. Right in front of her.  
  
A sudden vision of Raife, stripped of his skin, left with only his face, snatched her mind. She thought she was going to throw up.  
  
Someone grabbed her by the shoulders and she let loose a scream.  
  
"Sh! Ma'am, please, calm down!"  
  
"Who are you?!"  
  
"Officer Evan Hart."  
  
"What...? You have to help them, they're...blood....I couldn't do anything..." Llera gasped.  
  
"Are you okay, ma'am?"  
  
"No! I'll never be okay! I'm...losing everything..."  
  
"Check that out," the officer told the others, pointing to the room Llera had just stumbled out of.  
  
The officers darted for the bedroom. Shouts of horror leaked from the room.  
  
Llera was going to lose it...She was going to be shoved into insanity by someone she didn't know.  
  
All she could think of was the blood...death...torture...Raife...  
  
What kind of pain was he going through now?  
  
What would she have to endure? Her muscles tensed up and her shoulders shrunk in fear.  
  
"Ma'am, do you know who did that?" Hart asked.  
  
"I-I thought I did...but no...I...can't...I'm going to die, aren't I?"  
  
"What would make you think that?"  
  
"He's...hunting me...getting into my head..."  
  
"It will be all right. Just come with us."  
  
"But he might still be here...He wants to tear me to pieces..."  
  
"What is your name?" Hart inquired.  
  
"L-Llera Maden..."  
  
I think...I don't know anymore....I don't know anything....I'm going to die just like them... she thought.  
  
"Maden? What are your parents' names?" he questioned.  
  
"My parents....my parents!"  
  
Llera suddenly realized the killer's next destination. It would be her home, where her parents would be tormented the same way as her sister and brother-in-law.  
  
"You have to help my parents! They're going to die! Please help them!"  
  
"Miss, please--"  
  
"My parents!"  
  
"Your parents are fine, I assure you!"  
  
Llera couldn't listen to him. The officer had not just been confronted by a sadist who had him on his list. She knew he'd come.  
  
"Please! Help them, he's going to get them!"  
  
She suddenly felt something pinch her side. A wave of fatigue jumped her senses. She blacked out.  
  
***  
  
"I used a sedative on her, but I don't know how much longer she can sleep..."  
  
Llera blinked. A pair of gray eyes peered down at her.  
  
"Do you remember me?" the gray-eyed young man asked her.  
  
"Um..." she muttered groggily.  
  
"You probably don't remember my face anyway," he said. "I was with you last night..."  
  
Llera lowered her eyebrows. What the...? Last night?  
  
"No, no, no, not like that!" he told her hastily, shaking his head vigorously.  
  
"Then...Are you the officer?"  
  
"Yes. Evan Hart. Do you recall?"  
  
"Vaguely...where am I?"  
  
"You're at your home," Hart told her.  
  
"Mr. Hart, what--"  
  
"Please, I want you to feel as comfortable as possible. Call me Evan."  
  
"Oh...ok, Evan...do you know what happened in there? Are you going to interrogate me?"  
  
"Well, we may ask a few questions. Later, when you're on your feet..."  
  
As Llera focused a bit, she couldn't help but notice how handsome Evan Hart was. Young for a police officer, too.  
  
But then the events of the night before squeezed their way back into her mind and she wanted to injure herself for even considering him attractive. He was probably married, anyway.  
  
Raife...  
  
Llera tried to swallow the walnut in her throat, but she couldn't. Tears made their way out of her eyes, rolling down her cheek. This time, Raife wasn't there to kiss them away or embrace her and tell her everything was fine.  
  
"I'll leave you alone," Evan told her, walking away.  
  
It seemed that the whole police squad had decided to meet at her house. But of course, they were probably trying to get clues from her parents.  
  
The man had been right, after all. Her parents were fine.  
  
But Raife was not. No, Raife would never be okay. She wanted to hear his voice. She wanted to feel her heart jump whenever his hot breath hit her ear as he whispered to her that everything would be fine, that he would keep her out of harm's way.  
  
But her mistake may have just cost Raife his life...  
  
On the other hand....maybe the lunatic wouldn't kill him. Maybe...Raife was going through some kind of psychological toture....  
  
Goose bumps sprung up on Llera's arms. She didn't even want to think about it.  
  
Just....stay....sane....Don't let him get to you.....That's what he wants.... she thought, even while crawling into the fetal position.  
  
**** Yeah I know, short chappies.......get used to it......-_-' 


	7. Doctor Odine

........What? Are you waiting for a disclaimer? Geez, you should know by now that I don't own the freaking game, company or whatever....-_-' You people...  
  
Llera tapped her fingers impatiently on the table. Her mother sighed and rested her head in her hands. Her father paced near the window.  
  
"Please sit down," her mother pleaded with her father.  
  
He looked over at his wife and complied, but it was with reluctance.  
  
Llera stared at her tapping fingers, in a trance. She hadn't spoken to her parents since the death of her twin and brother-in-law, with the exception of a few "Uh-huh's" and "Nuh-uh's". She didn't want to think about it, much less talk about it. She thought she might start getting cramps from where she was so tensed up all the time. Her parents had been advised to avoid appearing suddenly or doing anything that might make her jump.  
  
Llera wanted to know who was terrorizing her. She wanted to know what they wanted. She wanted her life back, the one where her biggest problem was keeping her relationship with Raife secret. She would have gladly swapped the mind-racing insanity that had consumed her during the last few days for the dolorous moods she'd fallen into night after night.  
  
That part of her had already become distant, like a fleeting dream.  
  
"Please tell us," her mother finally said. "We need to know what happened. We're worried. What if this murderer comes back to get you?"  
  
Llera looked up at her mother. She aimed the same frown she was accustomed to lately at her. She was in no mood to discuss anything with her. For all she knew, it was her mother who had threatened Raife and killed her sister. As unlikely as it seemed, Llera refused to take chances.  
  
"We've tried to make your life as good as it could possibly be," her father told her. "You have security from the Heralds and this home. We've given you a higher life, one superior to the lives of some of the rats on the streets you seem to have taken a liking for."  
  
She glared at him. Raife was not a rat. The only rats were around here were the ones who continued to badger her over things they didn't need to know if they were not going to care about what they had left.  
  
"This has to do with that street boy, doesn't it?" he snarled.  
  
Llera said nothing, but rose from the table and began to reach for her coat.  
  
Her father grabbed her by the shoulders. "Does it?" he hissed, malevolence oozing from his voice.  
  
"Answer him, Llera," her mother said gently, but still urgent.  
  
"I knew it. He killed them, didn't he? You knew the whole time."  
  
"No!" Llera finally shouted.  
  
"Oh, now you're going to make an effort? Now that we're onto him?" he growled.  
  
"No."  
  
"What is it then? Did jealousy get the best of you?"  
  
"I would never do that!" Llera yelled, tearing away from his grasp.  
  
"Then tell me what happened in that house."  
  
"Why is it that you suddenly care what happens to me? Is it about your money or what everyone else will think?" Llera snapped. It was the most she'd said in a while.  
  
"You will not use that tone with me."  
  
"Guess what, Father?" Llera hissed, pulling on her coat and heading toward the door. "I just did."  
  
The phone rang and she froze.  
  
No...it can't be...  
  
Her father picked it up. "Hello?"  
  
Llera's pulse pounded and goosebumps rose on her skin.  
  
"Okay, just a second."  
  
He handed the phone to her. "It's for you."  
  
Llera hesitated, but eventually took the phone with a shaking hand. The last time she'd spoken on a phone, she had been sure she'd die.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"This is Doctor Thashaun Odine. I'm speaking to Llera Maden, correct?"  
  
Llera sighed in relief. "Yes."  
  
"Well, I know this may sound rather odd, but I heard about you and your recent predicament, and I have a sudden desire to help you. It would benefit the both of us if you would come to my office. I study science and history that has long since been forgotten and I may, somehow, be able to assist you."  
  
Llera lowered her eyebrows. "Do you want me to come alone?"  
  
"Whichever suits you."  
  
"How can I trust you?"  
  
"In the position you've been put in? You can't. But I have many associates who would tell you that I am the most trustworthy person you could come across."  
  
"I doubt that." Llera felt no need to be polite.  
  
"Well, please meet me here." Doctor Odine gave Llera the address and time of the meeting before they hung up.  
  
"Looks like you're not the only who wants to interrogate me," she told her parents.  
  
***  
  
By the time of the appointment, Odine had agreed to change the meeting place. Llera waned to come to see him in public, where he could not hurt her without gathering attention. As much as she did not trust the Heralds, they had been stationed around the meeting place and the building in which they would go into.  
  
She leaned against a building, looking through the dense crowd to see if she could pick out the doctor. What exactly made the man a doctor was unknown to her, but it wasn't necessary to worry about it.  
  
"...Watch where you're going! I'm standing here!"  
  
A short man in a business suit with a red-and-white striped tie caught Llera's eye. He had been yelling at someone who'd mistakenly bumped into him. It wasn't exactly hard to miss him, though. He was about 5' 5'', and had a balding head.  
  
He spotted her watching him. "What?" he snapped.  
  
She shook her head. Surely that wasn't Odine...  
  
"Wait a minute!" he said, running over to her. "Are you Llera?"  
  
She paused, but then said, "Yes."  
  
"I'm Doctor Odine."  
  
Had he not been looking, she would have sighed in exasperation.  
  
"Well, come on. Let's go."  
  
***  
  
"I'm trusting you more than I would trust most," Odine said, resting his crooked fingers on the desk before him.  
  
"Same for me."  
  
"Yes, but I'm taking a much bigger chance than you. I'm going to tell you something that has been long since forgotten. Something no one has records of."  
  
"What does it have to do with me?"  
  
"Well...The way I have that will assist you involves the past, future and present. And their collision. I have a difficult time saying that this occurred long ago, because its happening was in the past, future, and present."  
  
Llera lowered her eyebrows in confusion.  
  
"Yes, it is difficult to understand. This is why I must explain."  
  
"Go on," Llera told Odine, intrigued.  
  
"Nothing said here can leave the confines of this room. By signing here, you agree to this," he said, sliding a piece of paper across the table. Llera signed it.  
  
"I...don't belong here and now. I belong...there and then."  
  
Llera was already confused.  
  
"I study a science of the past. I used to be a scientist of an enormous city from a time long ago...or would it be now? Anyway, I lived in a huge city named Esthar."  
  
"Esthar? That's only a few run-down buildings hundreds of miles south of here...isn't it?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Okay...continue."  
  
"I'll tell you the main point before I do. One day, time collided. And I was given the chance to use my knowledge to make it to the time that it had all started. Thanks to the sorceresses and those who defeated the one who ruined the seperation of the past, present, and future. This 'one' was a sorceress. Her name...was Ultimecia."  
  
*********  
  
Tehe. It's already hurting my head.... 


	8. The Machine

Don't own FF8...I don't own Squaresoft....Or Playstation....:'(  
  
ANYWAYZ, I'm kinda slackin as far as working on this thing goes...I don't know. I only work on it whenever I have nothing else to do and I kind of rush it just a tad. I'm finding it hard to keep goin' but hey, I'm still here, right? How dare you lose faith in me?!?!? J/k lol....  
  
About halfway through this chap I realized that I needed to go back and find the whole thing about the plot involving Odine and all that other junk cuz my game got deleted and...so if this is all screwed up, I'll edit it when I realize it...O_o Don't ask...for your own safety...  
  
The name rang some sort of bell in Llera's head. Where had she heard that name before? It was quite an odd name, so how would she forget it?  
  
"Ultemicia was/is/will be a sorceress who wanted to have her own world of disorganized time."  
  
"Why are you so unsure of when...she wants this?" Llera inquired.  
  
"Because she caused time to collide. If time collides...it's too much to understand. Although time was returned to true order when Ultimecia was defeated, permanent chaos still reigns."  
  
Llera just stared at him. She'd seen her fair share of mentally ill people, but this was a whole new level of sick.  
  
"Are you trying to make me feel stupid or something?" she snapped. She hated to be toyed with, and despised it all the more lately.  
  
"If you are confused by it--"  
  
"I'm not confused," she lied.  
  
"Then it's okay, because thinking about it too much could steer one towards their own end."  
  
She tapped her fingers on his desk. "Then continue."  
  
"I once studied a Sorceress and her abilities. She could take a person into the body of another, show them things they'd never seen before. She could take one's soul back in time, into a memory of anyone she knew. I was amazed by this talent." Odine sighed. "I can even recall her ID number...#295694. Of course she was released or taken away at some point, but I learned enough about her."  
  
Llera was disgusted that he could tag a human being with a number and study her. She imagined Odine experimenting on a young woman and then wished she hadn't.  
  
"How could you do that to a person?" said Llera.  
  
Odine just shook his head. "I've gotten sidetracked. What's important is that I learned. And how it effected all of mankind."  
  
"Wait," she interrupted. "Are you here to give me history lesson or to help me out? Besides, for all I know you're going to experiment on me and mark me with a number."  
  
"No, experiments are not my calling any longer, miss."  
  
She sighed.  
  
"I soon discovered what my studies would lead to. I learned that a machine would be created with the same ability as the girl's, further into the future. The machine...'Junction Machine Ellone'....was created just recently."  
  
"Wait. How did you know what it would lead to? How long ago are we talking about?"  
  
"Not important," Odine muttered dismissively. "But if you agree, then I can use this machine to take you into the consciousness of another to find how who your sister's killer was."  
  
Llera's heart jumped. But then her suspicions took hold. "Wait. Is this...this thing, this machine...is it safe?"  
  
"Of course. Your life is in no danger."  
  
Llera stared at him. "First, explain...what's this whole...'Ultimecia' thing."  
  
Odine looked down at his desk for the first time. "She was a Sorceress who was bent on time compression. She...was from the future."  
  
"Future? Meaning...now?"  
  
"Perhaps. I'm not sure. But that is not of importance. Are you willing to do this?"  
  
Llera glared at her own hands, as if they had caused all this confusion. What was there that Odine was not telling her? Was there some hidden risk? Would he send her into the wrong person's memory? Who's memory would she go into? If she became Arell, and the murderer killed her....would it kill Llera?  
  
And...what if she was sent into the consciousness of the killer? Would she feel whatever it was he felt?  
  
Raife? What about Raife? Was he even alive? If she tried to go into his memory, would he feel her presence? Would he even be alive enough to sense it?  
  
Llera shook her head.  
  
"No?" Odine said. She'd forgotten he was even there...  
  
"I'll...I'll do it."  
  
*** AAAAGH! I'm SOOOO sorry that this chap is as short as it is, but I'm going through this HORRIBLE writer's block. And I know how everything will end up as of now, I'm just not sure how I'm gonna get it there...PLEASE forgive this disgustingly bad chap, as it in no way relflects my true writing............no flames, please......:'( 


End file.
